A commenter over at
eastsiderla asked this question about the Crittenton and Booth Home for Unwed Mothers.
"
Is this the reason there’s a Florence Nightingale statue in Lincoln Heights? I’ve always wondered about that."
First of all, I didn't know there
was a statue of Florence Nightingale in Lincoln Heights.
It turns out, she's located in Lincoln Park, on the southeast side of the lake (circled below)
google_earth
If you know where to look, you can spot her from the street.
GSV
Interestingly, she's shaped a bit like the surrounding trees.
Behold, she's quite beautiful as she gazes out over the lake.
latimes.com / The statue was a gift from the federal Works Progress Administration in 1937.
But she's had a rough life. Here's an/excerpt-
"It's been a tough go for Florence, the stoic, graceful lady of Lincoln Park. Over the years, hooligans have broken her nose, spray-painted her face, shot at her,
ripped off her hands and stolen her lamp.
But for all the attempts to deface the statue of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing stands tall and calm in the spot she claimed in 1937,
across the railroad tracks from the county hospital."
and this from back in 1974.
"The park was beautiful back in 1937, a well-manicured oasis. Now her nose is smashed. The hands have been broken off her out-thrust arms.
Her breast and skirt are stained with graffiti. Yet her spirit seemed undiminished. She had triumphed over her tormentors."
"She has triumphed over her tormentors." -I really like that line.
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http://articles.latimes.com/2014/feb...rence-20140208
"Hideous white, over-sized mannequin hands have been crudely wired to the statue where the originals were hacked off." (I thought she had gloves on in the preceding photo)
But recently there's been talk of moving her to a more secure location. (after 73 years of abuse, it's about time!!)
http://discoveryourbliss.typepad.com...bladore-1.html
County-USC Medical Center and Keck Hospital of USC are across the street, both with round-the-clock security. And 2.5 miles from the statue is the campus of Florence Nightingale Middle School. The principal, Patty Heideman, told me she would love to explore ways for her students get involved in rescuing their school's namesake.
I have my fingers crossed for this fine lady.
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